Project Overview
In 2018, I led the migration of Wharton Executive Education’s website from Sitecore to WordPress, integrating it into Wharton School’s multisite network. This project involved migrating over 700 pages while maintaining complex marketing integrations and improving the user experience.
The Challenge
Wharton Executive Education needed to migrate their extensive website to align with the Wharton School’s WordPress brand initiatives. The project presented several significant challenges:
Scale & Complexity
- 90+ pages for which I hand-crafted unique custom layouts in WordPress
- 60 ecommerce program pages
- 500+ dynamically imported pages (faculty bios, newsletter articles, and other content types) that required individual review for layout integrity and content accuracy
- 55+ application forms with critical tracking requirements
Technical Constraints
- Ecommerce functionality from Sitecore needed to be rebuilt in WordPress
- Executive Education program content required the establishment of complex WordPress custom post types
- Not a like-for-like migration as new content needed to be added to support the new infrastructure
- Inquiry forms had to submit to Marketo’s marketing automation platform on separate servers
- All marketing tracking had to flow seamlessly into both Google Analytics and SharePoint
- Forms needed consistent styling for a seamless user experience
Resource Limitations
- Limited team bandwidth for a project of this magnitude
- Tight timeline with stakeholder visibility
My Approach
Strategic Planning
I developed a comprehensive migration framework using Google Sheets to track every page, URL mapping, designer assignments, and proofreading tasks. This allowed the team to work efficiently across multiple workstreams while maintaining quality control.
To maximize efficiency, I identified opportunities to consolidate redundant pages and created a sitemap architecture divided into logical sections, making the massive site structure manageable.
Team Coordination
I assembled and managed a cross-functional team including:
- An external development agency for technical implementation
- A senior designer and freelance designer for page layouts
- Five proofreaders for content quality assurance
- IT teams for system integration
- Web analytics and SharePoint consultants for tracking implementation
I served as the central point of communication, ensuring alignment between technical requirements, design consistency, and stakeholder expectations.
Technical Implementation
Working with the development agency, I:
- Determined the optimal number of page templates and custom post types
- Specified how to rebuild Sitecore’s ecommerce functionality in WordPress
- Created detailed technical specifications for developers
- Art directed all dynamic templates to ensure visual consistency
- Reviewed 500+ dynamically imported pages (faculty bios, newsletter articles, etc.) to verify proper layout rendering and content migration accuracy
For the Marketo integration, I hand-coded inquiry form pages using Bootstrap (HTML/CSS) to match the WordPress site’s design across domains. I also developed and executed a comprehensive testing plan, distributing form testing across the marketing team.
Above is part of the migration plan spreadsheet.
I developed sitemaps to direct the development agency’s implementation of the site infrastructure.
The Results
The site launched successfully in April 2018. Performance metrics collected three months post-launch demonstrated significant improvements:
Traffic Growth
- 12% increase in total visitors
- 15% increase in page views per visit
Conversion Success
- 70% increase in inquiry form submissions
- 105% increase in application form submissions
Beyond the numbers, the migration established a more maintainable infrastructure that positioned Wharton Executive Education for continued growth within the School’s digital ecosystem.
Key Deliverables
Information Architecture
- Comprehensive sitemaps divided by section (Programs for Individuals, Custom Programs, About/Faculty/Resources)
- URL mapping and redirect strategy
- Content consolidation recommendations
Design System
- 90 custom page layouts maintaining brand consistency
- Program page templates for 60+ offerings
- Dynamic templates for imported content (faculty bios, newsletter articles)
- Responsive design across all device types
Integration & Testing
- Ecommerce functionality rebuilt for WordPress
- Marketing automation form integration
- Dual analytics tracking (Google Analytics + SharePoint)
- Cross-domain form styling and functionality
- Comprehensive QA and testing protocols
Reflections
This project reinforced the importance of meticulous planning when managing large-scale migrations. By creating clear documentation and communication channels from the start, we could coordinate multiple teams and maintain quality despite the project’s complexity.
The significant conversion increases validated our user-centered approach to the migration. Rather than simply moving content, we thoughtfully restructured the information architecture and optimized conversion paths, resulting in measurable business impact.
Example pages:
- Executive Education Home
- Programs for Individuals — Main page of section, key entry into program section
- Women’s Executive Leadership — An example of one of 60 program pages
- Custom Programs — Main page of section, provides insight into Wharton Exec. Ed’s custom program development process
- About — Main page of section, gives an overview of Wharton Executive Education and is the home of Wharton@Work newsletter articles